1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to woodworking. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable wood planing machine for the surface planing of wooden planks or boards.
2. Discussion
Various power tools are used in woodworking in an effort to efficiently and accurately cut workpieces to desired dimensions and surface quality. As is widely known, planing machines are often used for surface planing of wooden boards. A conventional planing machine typically includes one or more rotatably mounted cutting blades attached to a vertically movable carriage assembly. Also known are jointer machines which are typically used for the edge planing of wood. In certain applications, the functions of conventional planing machines and jointers are combined within a single unit commonly referred to as a jointer/planer machine.
In a typical wood planing machine, such as a surface planer, a selectively adjustable workpiece opening is defined between a carriage assembly and a support surface. The one or more rotationally mounted blades are carried on the underside of the carriage assembly adjacent the workpiece opening. The blades are adapted to remove a predetermined amount of material from the workpiece depending on the height of the workpiece opening. The carriage assembly also usually includes one or more feed rollers which urge the workpiece through the workpiece opening during operation of the wood planing machine.
In most applications, the carriage assembly of a wood planing machine is movably mounted to a plurality of support columns for movement with respect to a workpiece support surface, such as a base or platen. Such movement of the carriage assembly adjusts the vertical dimension of the workpiece opening so as to selectively determines the amount of material to be removed from the workpiece. Alternatively, in certain applicatons it is desirable to fixedly mount the carriage assembly and to adjust the workpiece opening by moving the base or platen vertically with respect to the carriage assembly.
In use, a workpiece is passed through the workpiece opening and a predetermined amount of material is removed from the surface of the workpiece adjacent the carriage assembly. Multiple passes of the workpiece through the workpiece opening are often necessary to obtain the desired thickness and surface quality. As with other woodworking operations, it is desirable that a planing machine accomplish workpiece preparation with precise tolerances, high surface quality, and a significant degree of reproducible results.
As a workpiece is passed through the workpiece opening, it is important that the carriage assembly remain vertically fixed with respect to the support platen. Slight movement of the carriage assembly negatively impacts the quality of cut. While it is known to provide a mechanism for arresting movement of the carriage assembly relative to the workpiece support surface, it is further desirable to provide a carriage assembly locking mechanism having a simple, yet effective arrangement for releasably fixing the carriage assembly relative to the support surface. It is additionally desirable to provide such a locking mechanism that does not interfere with the motor or cutting blades of the wood planing machine. Further, it is desirable to provide a carriage assembly locking mechanism operable to create an equal locking force at each of a plurality of support columns through the application of a minimal user input force. In certain applications, it may be further desirable to provide a carriage assembly locking mechanism which is automatically actuated when the motor of the wood planing machine is energized.
In the field of woodworking it is desirable to provide a wood planing machine having a stop mechanism which serves to physically stop the lowering of the carriage assembly at a predetermined depth. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a wood planing machine having a depth stop adjustment which may be more quickly and accurately set to a desired depth as compared to prior known devices. It is further desirable to provide a depth stop adjustment for a wood planing machine which provides for accurate repeatability for a plurality of common depth settings.
It is also known in the field of woodworking to provide a gauge for a wood planing machine which indicates the amount of material removed from a workpiece. While prior known devices are available for determining the amount of material removed from a workpiece, all are associated with one or more disadvantages. To overcome the disadvantages of prior known devices, it is desirable to provide a material removal indicator assembly for a wood planing machine from which the amount of material removed from a workpiece can be quickly obtained visually. Also, it is desirable to provide a material removal indicator assembly having a higher degree of accuracy as compared to prior known devices. Further, it is desirable to provide a material removal gauge adapted to assist the user in discerning between small increments.